Tag: gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving thought~

It is easy to focus on how far we’ve yet to go and forget how far we’ve come.  I am reminded of the classic family vacation/car trip.  No sooner are we in the car before someone cries from the back seat, “Are we there yet?” which is drowned out by “I need the potty!”  The finish line never seemed so far away.

But for those familiar with the experience, the fact that we got everything packed into the car and started the trip (without leaving any children behind) is quite an accomplishment.

So, by way of silly segue and flawed metaphor, let us find grace and thanks on this Thanksgiving.  Our journey is far from over, and the aspirations for a free and just society are far from realized.  But we have many blessings for which to be profoundly grateful. So, find the space in your heart to embrace these and share them with others.  They become the wellspring from which to draw strength in all of the work we have yet to do.  For no my sweet child, we are not there yet, but we are on the way!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

What are you grateful for?

A friend and rabbi introduced me to this question at the Friday night Shabbat dinner table.  She asked everyone there to share the highlight of their week, that thing, person, or event for which they were most grateful.

We have since embraced this beautiful tradition at our Shabbat Table.  It gives us a chance to welcome Shabbat with gratitude and a fuller heart at the end of what is often a very tumultuous week.

Each day the news seems overwhelmed with negative stories about how we are in decline as a culture, a nation, a world.  War, famine, climate change; we are, to quote Barry McGuire, on the eve of destruction. But the world is filled with beautiful things.  Good people acting with love and selfless generosity.  The beauty and majesty of our planet. And many other things that often get overlooked by the current crisis or calamity.  We need to find space to appreciate the good so we can help it to spread.

As we enter Shabbat, take a moment to embrace that special thing that happened this week worthy of gratitude.    Welcome Shabbat with something special.

What are you grateful for?

Shabbat Shalom

I/Thou and a parking ticket

I saw the meter maid stepping towards the back of my car to get license plate info.  The meter had expired a few minutes before and like clockwork, she was there at the ready to write the ticket.  I called out “Excuse me Ma’am!” and started to cross the street hopefully catching her in time.  As I stepped off the curb, I felt a snap in my knee and down I went.  The pain was excruciating.  She looked up and saw me.  I knew I had to get to her so I limped over as best I could, needing to catch my breath before I could say anything.  She reached out to me to help me and asked if I was okay.  We started to talk and she made it clear that she would not leave me until I was safely in my car.

She went from “meter maid” or “traffic enforcement officer” to caring human being.  Actually, she was a lovely caring human being all along.  It took me a while to realize that.

I do not know who she is.  I never got her name.  I reached out to the Parking Authority to try to find her and say thank you.  They likely do not get too many of those kinds of letters.

And as I was sitting in my car, gaining my composure, I could not help but notice the person a couple of cars behind me frantically waving a ticket in his hand as he ran towards a confrontation with my good Samaritan.

So thank you my nameless good Samaritan.  Thank you for sharing your humanity when I needed it.

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving 2017

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving.

This is an interesting year indeed. It seems that each day brings new issues testing us in new and often uncomfortable ways. However, this Thursday is Thanksgiving. Let us take time to celebrate our many blessings. For many of us enjoy a bounty. Try to use this time to gather loved ones, families and friends, and recognize the many reasons you have to be grateful.

Let us also use the time to acknowledge we have a long way to go on the journey to fully realize the values that guide us. For there are too many in our country who do not fully enjoy all of its blessings. This is the time to rededicate our efforts to make this a kinder, gentler and fairer place for all.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

thanksgiv-dayA simple Thanksgiving message

I invite us all to take a moment to express gratitude this Thanksgiving Day for the blessings we share.

Eat a lot, watch the parades, watch football, and be with family and friends.

Our country remains among the greatest on earth. We still have much work to do to bring the full blessings of America to all Americans. Now is the time for each of us to figure out what we need to do to make this a reality, to roll up our sleeves and rededicate ourselves to the values that make America great. Perhaps, Black Friday is the day for us to do that. But on Thursday, take the time to enjoy and share with others.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Daylight Savings Shabbat

Persistence of Memory-Dali
Persistence of Memory-Dali

We turn back the clock this weekend. The extra one hour of sleep isn’t such a big deal, I thought I would be much more excited if we were turning it back by about 20 years. But that is not the case. In fact, trading the past twenty years for the experiences during that time is not something I would do. I like who I have been becoming (I am still a work in progress) and the past twenty years have been an integral part of getting here.

Without those twenty, I likely would not be a rabbi nor would I be married to my wife Naomi, to name just two wonderful things that help define me now. The period was not without struggle and real challenges in all aspects of life, but these challenges also helped to shape me into the person that I am today. Today, I wish perhaps that the ground was not so far away when I drop things, or my arms did not have to be so much longer to read things, or that there was more hair to comb. But the blessings I enjoy I wouldn’t trade for any of those (although the hair makes me briefly pause).

So I come to this Shabbat with a sense of gratitude for what I have and I will use that extra hour to catch up on some sleep after a long workweek and a Saturday night spent with my wife.

Shabbat Shalom!

Shabbat Shalom

I lead Shabbat services for a couple of elder communities in our area.  As we welcome Shabbat, I ask the group for what are you grateful this week?  For some, the question is more difficult.  But finding at least one thing that may have happened, for which we can express gratitude is an expression of hope and joy.  Something always wonderful for sure, but even more so during Elul.

What is that thing that happened for you this week for which you can express gratitude?

Shabbat Shalom~